K-State researcher says movie-going companions matter

Manhattan  Want to enjoy a movie? Pay attention to the person sitting next to you. That's the message from a Kansas State University psychology professor.

The school says in a news release that Richard Harris has conducted two studies that show movie-goers may not enjoy watching a flick for two reasons: the movie itself or the person sitting in the next seat.

The most unpleasant combination is when parents and their teenage or young adult children find themselves seated together when a steamy love scene pops onto the screen.

Harris says it forces the parent and child to "acknowledge each other as sexual beings." He says it's not easy.

Harris' research is based on feedback from 400 participants and appears in an upcoming issue of the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.